Impact of Cognitively Guided Instruction on Elementary School Mathematics Achievement

We studied the impact of a long-term teacher professional development program on elementary school mathematics achievement five years after the initial randomization using an intent-to-treat approach and all available achievement data for kindergarten through fifth-grade students. The intervention consisted of a randomized offer for teachers in 22 schools to participate in a professional-development program based on Cognitively Guided Instruction. The intervention had a small positive effect (g = 0.03) on mathematics achievement in the primary grades and a larger effect (g = 0.16) in the intermediate grades. Grade level was the only statistically significant moderator, with larger effects in higher grade levels. These results provide new evidence of a long-term effect of Cognitively Guided Instruction on student learning in mathematics.